John Casken(1949)

John Casken is an English composer and teacher, born, in 1949, in Barnsley in South Yorkshire. His music is inspired by the landscape and culture of Northumberland, where he has lived for many years. He has composed music for orchestra, chamber groups, singers, choral groups and for the stage and opera house. He has written several concertos, including That Subtle Knot, a double concerto for violin and viola (premiered at Sage Gateshead in 2014, performed by Thomas Zehetmair, violin and director, Ruth Killius, viola, and Royal Northern Sinfonia - published by Schott Music). A recent publication is From One Thread for solo viola, and the instrument also features in another recent work, Toiles de Stael for flute, viola and harp. As a teacher John Casken has held lecturing positions at the University of Birmingham and at the University of Durham. From 1992 to 2008 he was Professor of Music at the University of Manchester, where he is now Emeritus Professor. In recent years he has greatly enjoyed playing viola in Glendale Ceilidh Band which is based in Wooler, north Northumberland.